Gallery Hours

In the Atrium Gallery...

Midway

Exhibiting Artist: Katie Adkins

August 3 – September 24, 2017

In her photographic series, Midway, artist KatieAdkins explores the fusion of disparate relationships that occur in the chaotic environment of a carnival. Perhaps the most obvious of these is between the average carnival visitor, who experiences the sights, sounds, and smells of the fair as an outsider, and the carnival workers (or carnies), who operate on the inside of that world. Other important themes include the relationship between man and machine, the peculiar mixture of childhood innocence and danger that the fair embodies, and Adkins’ own personal relationship with the carnival spectacle.

“When I was a child the fair was a magical event, so full of color, light, sounds and smells that it could often be overwhelming. It came to exist as a kind of blur in my memory, a fantastical whirlwind to which I could attach an emotion, but without holding on to any concrete details. Like most children, or indeed most adults, the fair was pure spectacle, and I never really reached past the surface of that spectacle” - Katie Adkins

Adkins began her project by focusing on the carnival workers but it soon morphed into a much broader theme as she started to see the carnival from multiple angles including the mechanics that physically make the rides and games possible to the economics that allow the carnivals to exist. By choosing to capture the photographs in black & white Adkins intends to move beyond the superficial idea of a typical fair in order to portray the connections, patterns, and relationships that lie beneath the hyper-real surface.

About the Artist

A recent transplant to the Midwest, Katie Adkins is a documentary and fine art photographer in Rapid City, South Dakota, where she and her husband live with their two dogs. Originally a native of Atlanta, GA, Katie received her MA in Photography from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2011. Since graduating she has worked extensively as a freelance artist in addition to working with well-known photographers including the London-based Martin Parr and the National Geographic photographer, Alex Webb. Her work has appeared in such publications as the Rapid City Journal, Mitchell Daily Republic, The Argus Leader, Art of the Hills Magazine, Black Hills Woman Magazine, Creative Loafing and Gemini Magazine. In addition to her work as a photographer, Katie serves as the Assistant Curator of Exhibits at the Dahl Arts Center in Rapid City.